Samuel heney johnson and cheistophee claeke hutchinson



(No Model.)

S. -H. JOHNSON 8v C.- O. HUTGHINSON.

APPARATUS FOR PORGING FLUIDS AND SEMI-FLUIDS BY MEANS OF COMPRESSED AIR.

No. 393,011. Q Patented Nov. 20,- 1888.

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WITNESSES- N. PEYERs. Phalo-Lflhognxphor. wuhingmn, D; c.

SAMUEL HENRY JOHNSON AND CHRISTOPHER CLARKE HUTGHINSON, OF STRATFORD, COUNTY OF SUSSEX, ENGLAND.

APPARATUS FOR FORCING FLUIDS AND SEMI-FLUIDS BY MEANS OF COMPRESSED AIR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 393,011, dated November 20, 1888.

Application filed February 16, 1888. Serial No. 264,280. (No model.) Patented in England July 4, 1885, No. 8,141.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that we, SAMUEL HENRY J OHN- SON and CHRISTOPHER CLARKE HUTOHINSON, subjects of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at Stratford, in the county of Essex, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Forcing Fluids and Semi-Fluids by Means of Compressed Air; and we do declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to theletters and figures of reference marked thereon, which forma part of this specification, (for which we have received Letters Patent in England, dated July 4, 1885, No. 8,141.)

It has been found inconvenient or impracticable, in the case of certain fluids and semifluids, to employ pumps for forcing them under pressure, in consequence of the specific character of the fluids. Either they are corrosive and act on the materials from which most pumps are constructed, or else, in the case of semi-fluids containing large proportions of fibrous and other matters, have a tendency to accumulate and obstruct the valves and other working parts of pumps. In such cases I purpose employing compressed air for the purpose of forcing such liquids, and dispense entirely with pumping them, and the consequent difficulties above indicated. The receptacle is provided with an inlet-pipe, by means of which compressed air is introduced above the level of the material therein. It is also provided with an outlet-pipe from the lower part, by means of which the material is conducted away under the pressure of the air in the upper part of the receiver. This arrangement is now principally used for forcing corrosive fluids to a superior level-such as sulphuric acid in sulphuric-acid chambers-and more frequently still for forcing semi-fluids of a fibrous nature such as sewage-sludge-into filter-presses. It is, however, as compared with pumping, a costly operation, requiring considerably more power; and it is also obvious from the short description given above of the method usually practiced that when it is desired to recharge the receptacle with the liquid to be forced it becomes necessary to permit the compressed air to escape before opening the vessel for another charge. blown away into the atmosphere a large proportion of the whole potential energy necessary for forcing the liquid by this system is lost.

Now the object of this invention is to secure the advantages of forcing with compressed air in the cases above mentioned without the disadvantages above indicated, and to this end we proceed as follows: We provide a series of two or more hermetically-closed receptacles, 6

cock or valve communicating with a pipe 7 which connects the top of the first and second receivers. We then pump water into the first receiver by any convenient pump of ordinary construction, and by this means we displace the air in the first receiver, forcing it into the second, which in its turn forces the material from the second receiver into the pressure-main. As the first receiver becomes filled with water a float is raised, which closes the end of the pipe, through which 8 the air from the first flows into the second vessel. The induction-pipe for the water is provided near the pump with a loaded safetyvalve, which is adjusted to deliver the excess of Water when the receiver is full, being loaded slightly above the working-pressure in the first receiver when the air is being displaced with the water. The water-pump is then stopped, and the cock in the air-pipe, by means of which the compressed air was transferred from the 5 first to the second receptacle, is then closed. At this stage the proportions of the different parts are so arranged that the second receiver, which is of equal size with the first, shall contain all the compressed air forced out of the mo In the compressed air thus 55 been when the material from it was being forced I by the compressed air from the first receptacle,

tacle.

the second receptacle is-emptied a float at the bottom of it closes a valve, which prevents the air escaping intothe pressure-main for the material being forced. No. 2 receptacle is then in the condition of No. 1 at the commencement of the operation-namely, filled with the same volume of compressed air and under the same pressure. The third receptacle, "which has been previously filled with the material to be forced, istreated in all respects in the same way as the second receptacle had previously the water being pumped into-the second. receptacle and otherwise manipulated, as already described in'rcference to the first recep-' the material to be forced by allowing it to'flow in by gravitation or otherwise, andthen it in its turn is ready to have its contents displaced by means of thecompressed air from the third receptacle so soon as its contents have been 'tinuously, and by tlnsmeans we obtamthe forced out, and settle process is repeated con- I following advantages:

' a First. Materials can be forced withoutpumping them which otherwise would obstruct or destroy the valves and other working parts of a pump using only the amount of energy-necessary to workan ordinary pump.

Secondly. By using the same volume of-compressed air over and over again without allow ing it to expand we avoid the loss of power which occurs'in the older method of pneumatic forcing by the heat evolved during the'com-- from the employment of a pneumatiosystem pression of the air.

Thirdly. XVeavoid thewastcofenergywhich occurs when the compressed air is blown away to waste after each forcing operation.

There are other advantages-which result for forcing materials into filter-prcsses, such as is due to the elasticity of the compressed air regulating the supply to filter-presses and adapting itself to the requirements of the work to be done in away that would'not be practicable with any ordinary pump; but these advantages are not peculiar to this system of pneumatic forcing, but are commonto the pneumatic forcing system now commonly employed, as above described.

In order that our said inventionmay be most fully understood and readily carried into effect,

, we will proceed to describe the drawings'here unto annexed.

.65 section, of the same.

Figure 1 is an elevation of apparatus arranged in accordance with our invention.- Fig. 2 is a plan, and Fig. 3 is atransverse-vertical The apparatus as here shown is suitable The first receptacle is thenfilled with for supplying sewage-sludge to'iilter-presses, by which it is compressed into cakes, and like apparatus may also be employed in forcing other fluids or semi-fluids either for the supply of filter-presses orfor other purposes.

A A A are hermetically-closed vessels. They are similar the one to the other, and they are connected at the top by pipes 13, on which air-cocks B B are provided. Each vessel communicates with a main, 0, through which the vessel is charged. The connection is by a passage in which is a valve which can be opened or closed at pleasure. These valves are operated by means of hand'wheels D D. The vessels A" A" A also communicate by other passages with a discharging-main,which also can at pleasure be closed and opened by valves, the valves for this purpose being operated by means of hand-wheels F.

The filter-presses to which sludge is to be v'ided for the purpose; or the main Emay lead the fluid or semi-fluid matter,whatever it may be, to any place where it may be required. At thelower part, also, of each vessel a'pipe, G, is connected, and thislcads to other pipes, H and Lwhich'are respectively the delivery and the suction of awalcr-pu mpingapparatus, K. H. and l. are cocks, by opening and closing which either vessel can at pleasure be coir neeted'with the pump suction or with'the delivery-pipe.

Vithin each vessel there is a ball-valve, L, of metal covered with vulcanizedindia-rubber. It is suiiiciently light to float on the'sludge or contents of the vessel, and the purpose which it serves is to automatically close the connection between the vessel, and the main E immediately-the vessel'is empty, and also to close the communication between the vessel and the pipe B when the vessel iscompletely full.

The apparatus may be used as follows: Suppose the vessel or receptacle A to be full of sewage-sludge, the vessel A to be full of compressed air, and-the vessel A to be full of water, the vessel A is put in communication with the main E. All-other cocks in connection with this vessel are closed, excepting that the pipe 13 is opened to connect this vessel at the top with the neighboring vessel A All cocks in connection with the vessel A" are closed except-thatwhich connects it with the delivery-pipe H of the pump. All the cooks in connection with the vessel A are closed, with the exception of that which connects it with the suction-pipe I of the pump. The pump being now set to work, water is drawn from the vessel A and forced into the vessel A, thereby displacing the compressed valve L within it closes the passage to the main E, while the corresponding valve of the vessel A closcs that vessel at the top.

supplied are put into communicationwith the main E, when required, byopening valves pro- IIO The pumping apparatus may continue in motion. Any water which it may draw escapes by the weighted valve M and passes into the service-tank N, with which also the suction of the pumping apparatus can be connected at pleasure. The vessel A is now empty and there is a partial vacuum within it. The next operation is to fill this vessel with sludge, which is done by opening the valve D. The sludge then flows in until the vessel is filled, or nearly so. The arrangement shown in the drawings is suitable where the sludge is to be drawn from a source raised a few feet above the main 0; but if it be required that the vacuum in the vessel A should raise the sludge from a lower level, then the pumping apparatus K should also be placed lower down, say some twelve feet below the bottom of the vessels A A A so that the descent of the water from them may aid the action of the pump. The vessel A being now full of sludge, while the vessel A contains the compressed air and A contains the water, the cycle of operation recommences. The compressed air is transferred from A to A The vessel A is discharged into the main E and the water is drawn out from the vessel A Thus the operation goes on, the volume of compressed air being transferred from vessel to vessel withontloss of energy. Any description of pumping apparatus may be employed, and in some cases the water under pressure may be drawn from an elevated cistern or other source, and the use of a pump in direct connection with the apparatus is dispensed with.

It is obvious that the air may, in the first instance, be compressed by forcing water into one or more ofthe vessels,while another serves as a receiver for the air which the water displaces.

Anyleakage of the compressed air which may take place may be made good by not quite filling the vessels with sludge and allowing some air also to be in them when commencing to discharge the contents.

The process herein described is the subject of another application for apatent filed by us March 8, 1887, Serial No. 230,150, and is not claimed herein.

What we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The apparatus for forcing fluids, consisting, essentially, of a series of two or more hermetically-closed vessels, a ball-valve in each of said vessels, and a pump, said vessels connected together with the following pipes, having stop-cocks to each of the vessels: 1, for

't-heinduction of the fluid to be operated upon;

2, for the eduetion of the fluid forced from the apparatus; 3, for the interchange of the volume of compressed air; 4, for the induction of water for displacing the air; 5, for the eduction of water from the vessels, the pipe No. at operating in conjunction with and by means of a pump, together with the floating ball-valve, to trap the air when the fluid is forced out of the receiver at the bottom seat, andvalso the fluid when the air is forced out at the top seat, the whole constructed, combined, and arranged to operate in the manner and for the purpose substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

SAMUEL HENRY JOHNSON. CHRISTOPHER CLARKE IIU'lCllINSON.

Witnesses:

HERBERT E. DALE, WALTER J. SKERTEN, Both of N0. 17 Gracechurch Street, London. 

